Devour Her Soul
by Scribbleknots
Summary: How long can you stay gold when everything all around you is trying hard to make your life a living hell? Mabel's optimism is put to the test when her whole world is thrust into chaos; and the only way she can free herself is to do the absolute worst thing she's ever done. And she'd never forgive herself for doing so. (Rated T just to be safe)
1. Prologue

Gray skies thundered overhead.

I look up from my leather seat in my mansion. Rain began to slowly trickle onto my window; as if its sobbing eyes were only starting to realize what I was about to do.

I smile.

Midnight would strike at any second – and once it does, the boy will have no other choice but to follow my curse's commands.

I glance over at my spell book again. It had an aged appearance, clearly worn from its past years of treachery. _My family has had this for generations..._ I scoffed at the thought. _They did not, however, know how to use it._

The raindrops outside grew heavier with each thought that crept into my mind.

I had done something absolutely horrible.

Absolutely insane.

Another twisted smile cracked on my lips.

_Absolutely marvelous. _

I flipped a page in my elderly hardback. Every sheet was crisp and rough to the touch – but the black lettering that marked the curses within remained unscathed. I re-read through it, assuring myself that I did not miss a single step, a single detail, a single scrap of lettering. I cannot ruin this.

There is no room for any mistake whatsoever.

Lightning whipped its murderous torch as I found I had not neglected any of the written text. My head turned to the dangerous storm outside.

It was ready.

The grandfather clock just beyond me roared with the announcement that it was exactly the midpoint of day and night. I stood up, dusting myself off from waiting for an extended amount of time. My hands latched around the book, carrying it with me to the roof of my empty manor.

Ignoring the wind that lashed out against me, I walked straight up to the stone tablet that stood ominously in the midst of the night and rain. I placed a frozen palm on the powerful slab – reciting purely from memory of the spell that was marked as dangerous in the book.

"_Magister mortis, _

_Peto a te, spiritus umbra _

_Et spiritus iustorum _

_Anima iuventutis _

_In manibus esse ut fati cordis _

_Et parcant in odium!"_

Quickly, I snatched out a strand of brunette hair from the zip-lock bag I kept in my soaking pockets, and slammed the sacrifice onto the stone in front of me. The few strands of hair burned in a solid green fire, it's hazy gray smoke rising to meet the furious clouds above.

Lightning sliced the skies frantically, the rain and wind screamed with rage, the ground pounding mercilessly at the disrupted spell. I smiled madly, my hair wild with the deafening onslaught of the ferocious rain.

The text in the tablet flashed with green, shooting a blinding beam into the sky.

As soon as it had done so, everything stopped.

The vengeful storm faded away, and let the midnight's beauty swirl into place.

I glanced back at the miles of forests, saddened to see the rainstorm come to an end. My feelings vanished however, when I realized that my spell had worked.

I took one last glance at the tablet that had granted my wishes.

"At long last..." I breathed, my gaze leading up to the darkened sky.

"It will _finally_ happen."


	2. The Blue Forest

_~1_

My eyes blink open, only to instantly be repelled by the striking bright light in front of me. I hold a hand out, blocking the beam from my sensitive eyes. I sit up, attempting to retain my bearings.

"Ugh... What happened last night? I feel like I've been hit with a bunch of socks with a quarters in them."

I rub the back of my head, my fingers running through my long hair that reached to my hips – happy that the soreness was ebbing. I blink my chestnut brown eyes again, my vision clearing up. My eyes widen when I realize that I was not in the bedroom in the attic. Not even close.

I was in the middle of a field of wheat, swaying softly as the wind whistled through the thin blades of grass. However, instead of the golden glow that wheat fields gave off, all the "wheat" was lime green, almost reaching a neon shade.

Confusion then sparked off multiple questions in my head:

_How did I get here?_

_Why am I here?_

_What _is_ this place?_

_How do I get out of here?_

Panic began to claw at my chest. Before I could go nuts with fear, I took a deep breath, and calmed myself down.

I had to keep a positive head.

I can't lose my mind now.

I stood up on my legs, which were wobbly from being unused for quite some time. I spin around, trying to identify more of the landscape. All I could see was the green wheat – and that went on for miles.

"Hello?" I call out, unsure of what else I should do. Of course, nothing answered me.

I begin to walk through the field, having no other option to take.

Studying my surroundings some more, I unsurprisingly began to get tired of the constant green hue of the landscape. I groan in annoyance.

"This is stupid! Why can't I just go _one_ day without something _weird_ happening?" I kicked the ground with my heel, the sparkling dirt scattering all over the soil. I paused, suddenly aware of the gorgeous dust. "Well, at least the ground's pretty." I stare at it some more, my frown progressing as I think about my statement. "On second thought, not really." I continue on, my legs hurting from the long hike, and my boredom constantly digging at my skull.

"Ugh! This meadow goes on forever! I'll _never_ get out of here at this rate!"

Suddenly, as if the universe decided to prove me wrong, I slammed into a tree that had appeared out of nowhere. "Ow! Hey, what the-?" I gripped onto my nose, looking up at the cylinder-shaped trunk. I blinked in bewilderment, taken aback by the random Aleppo pine tree. I glance at the very top at it – which was at least ten feet high. "Whoa..."

I didn't even see the tree there. Come to think of it, it wasn't there at all!

"That's so..." I was at a loss for how strange this really was. "...unexpected."

I glance behind it, and as if magic had visited the area, there was an entire forest planted just beyond the Aleppo. To make things even more mystifying, the tree's leaves were all a different shade of blue. My mouth hung open in a stunned silence. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life!

Running inside the entranced woods, I let my boredom and subconscious fears slip away, just feeling the pure joy of discovering something magical. I skipped and jumped around, dancing in the enchantment of the find. I felt happier than ever! I never wanted to leave!

"This is amazing! I can't wait to show Dip –"

I stopped myself.

I was so caught up with where I was that I didn't even realize I was completely alone.

_Alone..._

The isolated word was hushed in my head.

I bit my lip. Now was not the time to think about that. I didn't need to show my twin brother anything. This was my own little secret. My own forest. I don't need or want to share it with anyone. My heart fell limp with guilt.

Dismissing the worries of my own psyche, I persisted in exploring my new treasure. The leaves shimmered with fresh raindrops that twinkled in the light of the sun. The barks of the trees were all different kinds of shades and colors. Birch, oak, pine, willow, maple, apple, you name it!

My thoughts about my missing family forcefully being brought up again, I walked up to a tree with bright, shiny green apples. After walking for hours in an exhausting meadow wearing a dark a hunter green-colored sweater, the sweet sound of food sounded very appetizing. Speaking of which...

I look down at what I'm wearing. It didn't even occur to me to see what sweater I had chosen to wear.

The symbol on my sweater was a strange, Viking-looking black symbol. It was three triangles, all connecting together. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't recall ever stitching the sweater. Heck, I can't even remember where I got it! My violet skirt looked much more faded, but my socks and shoes still remained untouched by the strangeness.

Puzzled by this phenomenon, I turned back to the green apples. The symbol was weird, and I know for a fact that I didn't make it – but that didn't change the fact that I was still hungry from worries and confusions. I gripped the tree with my arms, trying to pull myself up to reach for one of the fruits. Unable to keep my position on the trunk, I slipped off, falling on my butt. Rubbing it tenderly, I silently wished Dipper were here. He was so much better at climbing stuff than I was.

Skimming for something to help me, my eyes fell on another apple tree. This time, some apples sat rested on the ground, making my life a whole lot easier. Sprinting towards it at maximum speed, I reached to grab the fruit, my mouth watering with hunger. Before I could even touch it, I noticed something with my hand.

It was very slight, and I could've easily missed it before, but now that I looked at it more, it seemed to carefully fade away. Frowning, I examined my hand closer. It was then when I discovered something that would affect my entire existence as I knew it. My hand was slowly – and by slowly I mean _really_ slowly, dissolving away. Tiny bits of my flesh began to evaporate. Bit by bit, it just floated away, and disappeared. Like a computer getting rid of a glitch.

My eyes grew wide with shock.

I didn't know what to say.

I didn't know what to do!

Or even how it happened!

Before I gained fear from this new revelation, an unearthly rumble growled beneath me.

My face grew pale.

A dark dread flooded my blood, and a rising panic was beginning to occur.

Turning around, I witnessed the most terrifying thing I've ever faced.

And it was charging faster and faster towards me.


	3. Trapped

_~2_

The creature that was stampeding towards me skidded to a stop when he was aiming to turn right. It's sheer weight clashed into a tree, knocking it down from the impact, and began to recover the savage speed it once had. It roared its deafening howl, and thrust its entire mass into high speed.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed, temporarily loosing my balance on top of the slippery leaves, instantaneously picking myself back up, and bolting away from the monster.

The beast that was chasing me had the shape of an extremely thin toad, but the arms and legs of it were very human-esc. It was the size of a horse alone, but the head was flat. It's back legs had only two, sharpened toes, its arms repeating this pattern, and had the tail of a serpent. The feature that struck me as the most petrifying about it was its face. Ears like a fish fins, teeth rotating like chainsaws, and eyes white as ghosts. The two glowing eyes alone made my blood run cold.

I kept running. I ran as fast as I could away from the terrifying animal. I had not a clue where I was going – trees whizzed by me and the ground felt like it was trying to slow me down. I could feel the monster get faster just by the utter momentum it was getting from its chase. After all – it had the strength of a bear _and_ a tiger put together!

My lungs burning with adrenaline, I ignored the cramp I was getting in my side. I felt like I was going to trip and fall, and then get eaten alive by the toad-creature. My panting worsened, my legs flaming with exhaustion, and I knew for sure I was going to pass out at any minute. Tears flooded my eyes. There was no way out of this. I was a goner.

I felt a loose stick throw me off – twisting my ankle and falling down in a steep ditch. Only momentarily nursing my injury, my head shoots up to find the bloodthirsty demon leap down upon me. It rears its leathery head high; it's teeth rotating in multiple directions, ready to cut me in half.

I try to kick away from it, climb back up the nearly vertical wall of the ditch, desperately seeking any possible safety. I could hear the toad creature gurgle up, the silvery drool from its mouth dribbled onto the ground. Right at the moment when it was about to strike, he let out the most vociferous, ear-splitting, blood-curling scream I've ever heard.

The crazed look in the whiteness of its eyes were enraged with hate, it was going to enjoy ripping off every single piece of my flesh. I held my arms up to my head, as if trying to shield myself from my appending doom.

The creature stopped abruptly, sitting up straight and tall, the ears flicking as it was trying to listen to something. It growled angrily, digging at the dirt with its massive two-fingered claws. It stepped back away from me, and with one more glare of fury in my direction, it phased underneath the ground.

I let my ears drink in the stillness of the sudden silence. I could only hear my terrified breaths inhaling every second I got the chance. My eyes glimpsed back at my sprained ankle – which was now swelling rapidly. My hand goes to my chest, trying to get my panicked heart to calm down. My foot throbbing madly, I tried to keep a cool head, to put my carefree mind at ease again. My eyes watered, and when I tried to clear them up, the more water came. Before I knew it, I was overflowing with tears. I let my long brown hair fall besides me as I rested my head on my kneecap, shielding the world with my arms.

I never did like crying – whenever I saw someone cry, I always tried to cheer them up. Whether it was doing a happy jig, or telling a joke, or even having a puppet show just for them. Never had I wanted – or needed – a hug so badly at this very moment.

Through my damp mouth, I blubbered through my sobs,

"I wanna go hom-me... Right n-now..." I bit the bottom of my lip, preparing for an even bigger onslaught of tears. I sniffled, trying to dry away my sodden eyes with my sweater. I coughed/held back another bawl of depression.

Sitting back up, I sniffled again, wiping my face with the sleeve of my sweater again. I tended to my wounded ankle, as an attempt to distract myself from crying. It was sore, especially when I gripped onto it. I recalled my caretaker, Grunkle Stan, telling me a trick about sprained ankles –

"If you're out in the woods, and you trip on something while escaping the cops, the best thing to do is, well, to hide first, and wait until they're gone, and then put your ankle into some sort of river, surrounding a bunch of rocks around it to keep it steady. That's a secret from one man of survival, to another."

I had frowned at his statement.

"Grunkle Stan, I'm a _girl_."

The elderly con artist had just lightly laughed, ruffling my hair, replying back,

"Yeah, yeah. Girl, shmirl, trick works with anyone is my point."

I faintly smiled at the memory. To think at the time I didn't actually believe I was going to be in the woods all alone and twist my ankle on something. I glance around the ditch I landed in.

It was dry as a bone – not a single source of water to be found, let alone a few cold rocks to serve as ice. I groaned.

Yelling up at the world,

"Why is today so MESSED UP?!"

Throwing a random pebble to represent how tormented I was, my head falls back, and I sigh of hopelessness.

It was so weird when you realize that once the person that did the worrying for you so you don't have to is gone, suddenly fear seems so much stronger now. And my optimism can go on only for so long being fuelled all by itself...

I begin to get up, careful not to put weight on my left leg, framing a smile on my face. I can get through this. I don't need Soos's, or Stan's, Wendy's, or even Dipper's help to get out of here. All I needed to do is look on the bright side of things. Leaning on my right, I use the support of the dirt walls to help me walk, determined to find a way through the power of Mabel!

I glance up at the sky. It was still blue, and the sun was still up and proudly beaming it's solar waves – despite everything that's happened. However, something told me that it was later than it seemed, and I needed a way to get out of this gully before nighttime hit. I shuddered.

If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to be stuck here at night.

I limped onwards, still keeping a hand on the side, the pain snaked all around my ankle; squeezing it tighter and tighter with every moment I neglect it. After this kept going for about forty minutes, I couldn't continue to ignore it any longer. I sat down, taking my black shoe and white sock off. Using the sock as a makeshift bandage, I tie it on tight, hoping that would help it be less raw. I put my shoe back on, cautious not to put any of my mass on the damage.

The minutes phased into hours. The hours dissolved into even more hours. Which then transitioned into longer, excruciating hours. I was so fed up with being stuck down a trench, that I attempted climbing the dirt walls. Gripping onto something that wouldn't break and fall apart was a tall order to fill, however.

Unfortunately for me, I learned this the hard way when the dirt I was standing on fell away, causing me to land on both my feet by total accident. The gun shot split of pain rocketed into my leg, and I immediately got off it, gently massaging it back to traveling health. That took about twenty-eight minutes.

When I felt that I was ready to prolong on my journey, I eased myself up, avoiding another brutal contact with the ground. I hobbled my way forwards, aware of the aches and sores of my right leg doing all the work. I often seem to be giving myself a pep-talk speech in order to prevent myself from collapsing.

"Okay, Rightous, I know we've had a hard day of hard work. But by golly, we are going to get through this together! Leftia is weak and hurt, and she can't help us now! So it's up to _you_ to get us to safety! Now, onwards to victory!"

I will admit – it felt nice to actually feel like my old self again. I disliked feeling like Dipper whenever this kind of situation happens.

After hours upon hours of wobbling through a dirt mine with no roof, the pep-talk speeches were loosing the value of its faith. I was exhausted, completely ready to fall over, and craving fried chicken to the max. Just thinking about the crispy, steaming, juicy meat was making my mouth water and my stomach growl with desire.

"Shh..." I patted my empty belly, my eyelids drowsy with fatigue. "Don't fret, Stomach-ee. I know you want some food, but we just have to accept that there will probably be no dinner tonight."

I was unbelievably tired. Never had I wanted to curl up into my bed and sleep for five days straight. My eyelids could just barely hold up; my own head felt like a cinderblock.

Bed, chicken, orange juice and painkillers have never sounded so good.

As one would expect, the happy blue sky faded into a dark, dreary night. After a while, it began to get hard to see. My right foot kept stumbling and almost tripping over a bunch of rocks, sticks, and whatever else was lying on the ground.

Another mental note was added to my head:

Bed, chicken, orange juice, painkillers, and my _flashlight sweater_ could really hit the spot right now. I thought again.

_And I definitely wish Waddles were here, too. _

Suddenly, my left hand that was supporting half my weight felt something wooden. Since I could just barely make out with the moon's half-light, I could just see that it was some sort of long stick. Too tired to even be cautious, I squeeze my grip on it, just to make sure it isn't some sort of snake or whatever.

_Geez, I'll turn into Dipper if I keep thinking like this. _

To my luck, it was just an ordinary branch. I tug on it, hoping that I could use it as a crutch or a cane or whatever, since it definitely felt sturdy enough.

The branch didn't budge, however.

I tugged at it again, a bit harder.

Was still rooted to the spot.

I pull on it, feeling irritation claw at me. The branch still refused to give up its spot. Baring my braced teeth in a drained anger, I growl in frustration,

"Come on! Move!"

The stick still glued to the pile.

Finally getting angry from being tired, hungry, hurt and mentally exhausted, I gripped the branch with both my hands, forcefully pulling it with all my weakened might. It still didn't move.

Leaning my head against the wood, I just stand there with my eyes closed, almost ready to drop asleep right then and there. Conversely, my hands trailed up the branch, as if subconsciously following how long it actually went. When my entire arms couldn't even reach the length, my eyes sparked open.

I glance up at the branch, and now seeing where it led, it looked a lot like a tree. I grinned brightly, relieved that my ticket out of here was at long last found.

It wasn't just a branch. It was a _root_. It was a root of a tree – which was atop of this seven-foot trench. I seized the root, pulling myself out of the gorge. It took a lot of power away from me. Especially since I only had one available leg.

Heaving and panting heavily, the palm of my hand touches the cold, prickly blades of grass. I'm almost about to shout out from joy, but I don't. I drag my worn-out body onto the rest of the freezing ground. Smiling, I look over at my hellhole, and stuck my tongue at it.

"In your _face_, you stupid-! Stupid..."

I shiver, clutching my sweater tightly. An arctic wind nipped at my ears and fingertips, running down my long hair. I bundle up in my sweater, looking around for any kind of shelter. There wasn't any, so I sat by the tree that assisted in my escape. Curling up, I cover my goose-bumped legs, my arms retreating from the sleeves and into the warmth of the sweater. I hug myself, trying to retain heat. This unnatural cold would probably be the reason why all the leaves were blue. I didn't know leaves even got hypothermia, but if they did, this would be a great example of one.

As I had been mentally wishing for food, water, health, and light, I now find myself wishing for warmth, too.

Before my eyes closed for the night, an ironic thought poisoned my head:

_The ditch was ten times warmer than up here._


	4. A Day in Hell

_~3_

After a hard, cold, and restless night, I awoke in a light morning frost, my ankle still beating with tenderness. I sit up from my uncomfortable position, feeling my muscles pop back into place after I give a long stretch. I rub my dry eyes, still stinging from the agitated sleep. All night, my foot has done nothing but give me pain and misery. Thus ending up with me having to wake every six minutes to try to relax my injury. And the night's chilly frost was no help, either.

My stomach rumbles louder – another reason why I couldn't get any sleep – demanding breakfast. I glance around the area, seeing if there was any easy food to get. Of course there wasn't. Why would anything be easy for me?

I prop myself up, straightening my sock-bandage, and head out to find food. I pass by the trees that had once fascinated and mesmerized my twelve-year old mind, no longer interested in their dazzling appearance. My eyes skimmed the tops of them – hoping to spot some sort of tree with fruit on it. So far, no luck. Only blue-colored pine needles and leaves.

Suddenly, my eyes fell upon a peach. A slightly frosted, giant, ripe and juicy peach. My eyes grew wide with yearning. I licked my lips, hurrying towards the delicious prize.

"Ohmygosh, gimme!" I said to no one as I reached for the peach like a child. I tugged at my unattended hair, my teeth digging into my bottom lip. "I want it soooo badly!"

I knew it wasn't a good idea to climb the tree with a sprained ankle, especially when it was still hurting like crazy, so I thought of the next best thing.

I threw rocks at it.

"Come on, you hard-hearted buttface! Fall already!" I progressed to throw more stones at the fruit, missing multiple times, and when I did hit it, the peach didn't have any reaction whatsoever.

It was then when I missed that I actually hit something.

It wasn't any other fruit, though.

" Ow! Hey, hey! What's going on out here?" I had hit a talking tarsier square on it's face. My hands shot up to my mouth, shocked that I had hurt a poor little animal.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

The tarsier glanced at me with his gigantic brown eyes. He furrowed his brow, his confused expression fading into an irritated one.

"Oh, so _you're_ the one throwing all these dang rocks everywhere! You think this is some kind of joke? Huh? Throwing rocks at my house?"

"I'm sorry!" I apologized, "I didn't know it was your house. I was only trying to get that peach!" I pointed at the juicy treasure hanging just next to the small monkey-like creature. The tarsier followed where I was gesturing, and became angrier.

"Oh, so now you're throwing rocks, _AND_ stealing my food?" The tarsier's tiny palms hardened into fists. "You're just a dirty little rock-throwing thief!"

"What? No! I didn't know it was yours, or that anyone lived here!" I pleaded with the tiny creature.

"Thief! Thief! Thief!" The tarsier screamed the word, his tail whipping wildly around. "Let's see how _you_ like it!" The tarsier ran back into his tree-hole, coming out with a ton of almonds in his arms.

Like a mini gun, the woodland creature fired several of the empty shells at me. Astounded that such a tiny creature could throw that fast and that hard at an short amount of time, I staggered away as fast as I could, getting hit with several of the makeshift bullets. I slipped on a wet leaf on the ground, falling on my face; I get back up, practically dragging myself away from the furious little animal.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" The small monkey screeched after me.

When I was a long distance away, I picked myself back up again, sweeping off the excess water from the ground off my mysterious sweater. My eyes ran over where I was – and once again, not a single tree of fruit to be found.

"Man, today is just _not_ my day," I said, putting my hands on my hips. My stomach whimpered. I sighed, exasperated. "Well, looks like I'll just have to keep looking."

I continued to limp through the forest, which was now completely damp from the powerful sun thawing out the frost that had a midnight frozen musical. My shoes and socks soggy from the watery ground, I found relief that it was almost as cold as ice (not quite, though). Every chance I got, I carefully leaned my ankle on a long stretch of grass, letting it brush up against the swollen misery.

I'm not sure how long I've been wandering in the dewy forest, but it definitely feels like it's been a long time. Unable to find any food, I then found something that would be even better. Well, painkiller wise.

The sound of running water flowed into my ears – fast, icy running water. I smile with happiness, walking faster towards the source.

"Yes!" I exclaimed out loud, letting my eyesight drink in the sweet relief. I waddle over to the shallow river, kicking off both my shoes and taking off my other sock. I tie the sock around my ankle, allowing it extra support. Dipping my foot into the sub-zero temperature, I sigh gratefully. I was finally at ease – if I had some cupcakes and a soft carpet to go along with this, this would be the greatest moment of my life.

It was then as I was swaying my injured let in the water that I heard faint laughter. Narrowing my eyes, I tilt my head a ways to listen better. Yep – it was definitely some sort of giggling I was hearing. My eyes follow the location of the sound, only to find that it was directly in the middle of the river.

Curious, I take off my sweater, tossing it over to a nearby tree. I leave my shoes nearby the water's side. Carefully, I wade into the waterway, following the mysterious snickering.

"Hello?" I ask, suddenly not sure if this was a good idea.

The giggling continues louder, as if appeased by my own voice. My eyes fall on the water. I just now notice the small figurines dancing between the soft current of the river. "Whoa..." I breathed, carefully leaning in to get a closer look. The creatures glance up at me, laughing some more.

"Hello!" One of the five human-esc creatures greet, waving her watery hand up at me.

"Are you guys water-fairies?" I ask, fascinated by their beauty. They all giggle at me, amused by my assumptions.

"We're water _sprites_," Another one responds, flipping her hair (which was entirely made of water, as was the rest of her body).

"Are you a big nerd?" A different sprite asks, her grin widening. "Because only nerds wear braces."

I frown a little; but reply politely,

"No, I'm Mabel. And you are?"

One of the water sprites flips her water hair again, saying in a smooth voice,  
>"I'm Tiara. And these are my girls – Luppid, Aneth, Karlia, and Eiralen."<p>

I smile, hoping to make friends, despite their earlier rudeness.

"So... what exactly were you laughing about?" I asked calmly. The water sprite named Aneth giggled girlishly.

"We were laughing at you!" My smile falters – but I manage to keep it up.

"Why? Was I doing something funny?" I glance at my sprained ankle – maybe they didn't have much experience with human injuries and found it oddly entertaining. They chuckle idiotically again, this time, Eiralen replies through her snickers,

"N-no! It's just that-!" She smiles at her thoughts again, breaking into a genuine laughter, in which Luppid blurted,  
>"You look like a total <em>retard<em>!"

They all break out in absolute hysterical laughing.

My smile vanishes, being replaced with quick hurt. I pucker my brow, backing away from the water sprites.

Even Pacifica didn't call me a retard.

I don't rightly recall what I did to be picked on for, but I didn't care at the moment. I just wanted to leave. Wading from the jerk-sprites, I mutter under my breath,

"_Retards aren't stupid, they're just different..."_ I stop, the water pulling me back to my previous spot. "What the-?"

"Did you think we were just going to let you leave?" Tiara sneered hatefully, "Karlia, freeze her in place." Karlia obeyed her leader, her water form freezing rapidly, and directed her ice towards me.

I remained rooted to the spot. I couldn't move a single muscle. I struggled against the frozen solid, hoping to break free. When my efforts proved useless, I stopped, whirling my head to face them.

"What is your _deal_?! What did _I_ ever do to _you_?!"

The water-sprite known as Tiara smiled sneered at me foully – her once perfect teeth sharpening into little demon daggers. Then, she began to grow in size, as was her posse. I bit my lip, thrashing about in my crystallized prison. Tiara rested her dripping hand upon my head, as if to comfort me in some way.

"You did nothing, dearie..." Her soft smile shifted into a twisted grin. "As a matter of fact, you are going to make our day so much more..." She licked her lips lavishly, water drooling from her mouth. "..._Delicious_."

Impatient for her meal, Aneth lunged at me hungrily – her teeth extra sharp and ready to bite into the juiciest flesh it could find. Quickly, I fought against the ice that held my ground. Luppid seemed to want a piece of me as well, also coming for the kill at a different direction. Giving up my fight against the ice strapping me to the ground, I lurch my body backwards – cold water gripped onto my face, but I was able to just barely dodge the crazed water demons. The ice unable to hold my weight, releases me, allowing me to swim as fast as I could away from the predators.

The two creatures angrily yelling at each other for letting their meal get away, Tiara pushes Aneth into the water.

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT! SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" The leader screeches at her. Aneth twists her head in my direction. I was already at the shore, snatching up my shoes as I ran as fast as I could away from the river.

She growls and dives into the once knee-deep water – causing it to rise higher and higher. I couldn't get away fast enough – not with my bad ankle strapped around me like a cinderblock. My eyes popping with fear, I feel the water hoist my body off of the ground. I'm helpless as my eyes lock with the glowing green eyes of the five demon fairies. I gasp as Eiralen drags me under, ready to gnaw on my bones. The other four spin around me, creating a gigantic whirlpool. My hands are on my mouth, desperately trying not to let the water seize my innards. My lungs burn with pain, and I want to scream and take the biggest breath of my life.

I swish around helplessly – like a ragdoll in a washing machine. Unable to take it any longer, I loose my breath and begin to loose consciousness. A flash of pain rips through my arm. They must have finally attacked me. It'll only be a matter of time before I die.

Suddenly, faded screams rang into my ears. The water was pulling away from me, retreating back into the river. The cold liquid rested me back on the shore, allowing oxygen to me.

I cough harshly, water dribbling out of my mouth.

"Ugh..." I groan in exhaustion, glancing around in the area where I landed. I was still in the blue forest. Still in my worst nightmare yet.

I attempt to sit up, my head throbbing. It was a good thing I was numb to the bone, otherwise my ankle probably would be trying to murder me right now.

_Like everything else in this stupid forest._

I use my arm as a prop to stand up, when a sting ripple through it. I wince, sitting back down. My sweater was torn, presenting a trace of blood just slightly oozing out of the wound. I sighed, knowing that it could've been a whole lot worse. I carefully roll up the sleeve to investigate the damage more. It looked a whole lot worse than it really was – the blood smeared my arm like paint. But as I knew, it was only because the water caused it to go all over the place. I lick my thumb, cleansing it somewhat. It still hurt, but I was grateful that it didn't hurt much.

My bearing settled in, I was still nearby the river that almost killed me. Getting up cautiously, I pick up my shoes that sat conveniently nearby. I wasn't just going through this forest barefoot – that'd be nuts!

Not even caring why the water fairies freed me from being their next fish stick, I scrambled away from the sight. I didn't look back.

I don't know how long I ran/wobbled, but it felt like an eternity. All I wanted was for something to eat, and then go to bed in the comfiest feathers known to man. My eyelids drooped further with every step I took.

_No, Mabel. You have to keep a positive look on life. You can't give in to pain and tiredness. You have to keep pushing onwards!_

I only bluntly thought to myself. It was harder and harder to keep my optimism, but I had to. It was pretty much the only thing I had right now. Well... besides pain and misery.

My thoughts were interrupted when my foot felt a jolt of pain.

"Ow!"

My vision sweeps down on the ground for answers on what I stubbed my toe on. My eyes widen when I find that it was a thin piece of wood. I don't even know how thin wood stubs people, but it might help keep my ankle from being a pain in the neck.

I sit down on the ground, untying my soggy socks from my ankle. I pick up the pieces of wood, steadily placing them on both sides of my ankle. Using my stretched-out socks, I tie them tightly together.

Noting my handiwork for only a moment, I then notice the condition of my hand. My pinkie was clearly thinner than it was yesterday, and was still dissolving. I let my eyes linger on the terrifying re-discovery. I had completely forgotten that it was doing that. I bit my lip.

_This can't be good..._

I glance around the rest of my body – to see if I had the problem anywhere else. As it turned out, I did.

My foot was also disappearing – the same one with my injury. Although not as rapidly as my hand, it was still a very bad sign. I take in a breath, trying to figure out what to do about it. Not a single idea came into mind.

Never have I felt fear this powerful.

Ever.

I wrung my hair around my fingers. I badly wanted to hug something – to squeeze a stuffed animal until its innards came flooding out. To hug Waddles, and whisper in his adorable little ear that everything would be okay.

To want Dipper by my side, coming up with brilliant ideas for escape.

I whimpered with sorrow, burying my face in my arms. I wouldn't allow tears to stream down my face – the last thing I needed was to be heard and then attacked by something else that was twice as dangerous as the last two encounters.

I rubbed my eyes with my sleeve.

I had to get a hold of myself.

"Pull yourself together, Mabel! You can do this." I thought for a moment.

I obviously needed to get out of here.

Before I disappear forever.

"Hmm..." I pondered, observing my surroundings once again. My eyes fell upon a large mountain, just in the distance. I beamed a braced smile.

"Works for me!"

I set off towards the direction of the mountain – it was the only place that didn't look like it had many trees. And hey – I might be able to see the Mystery Shack from up there, and go in that direction.

Before I could take five steps, another sight caught me. It was a berry bush, with plentiful black berries on it. I smiled brightly again, hobbling over to the fresh fruit. Snatching at least ten berries greedily, a voice that oddly sounded like Dipper's sounded in my head,

_Are these poisonous?_

I hesitated – considering all the bad luck I had today, and yesterday, they probably were. I thought for a moment. I remember going on walks with my twin brother back in California, and him babbling on about different plants from the books that our dad got him.

I sort of wished I had listened.

Summoning all my memory powers, I concentrated on the words that he had said so long ago.

_"__... on vines are usually poisonous, so we'd better not eat those." I remember him looking in my direction, annoyed. "Mabel, are you even listening?" _

_"__You bet, Dipp'en sauce! I'm listening so well that the birds can hear me listening." _

_"__Mabel, that doesn't even make any sense." _

_"__Psh, well, neither does ranch dressing on pizza!" I had said in a lame defense. I remember that Dipper had rolled his eyes at the comment, turning back to the book. _

_"__If we're going to win this bet with Dad about living in the wild, we have to do it right." I had smugly 'tsked' at him. _

_"__Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. Don't you know that I'm a wildlife genius? I got at least a bajillion different animals to hook up!" _

_"__Mabel, you were almost mauled by a rabbit. And none of those animals actually 'hooked up' – "_

_"__Meow meow meow meow meow." I had mocked my twin, moving my fingers up and down to signify his talking. He had growled, staring back down in his book. _

I smiled faintly at the memories – but concentrated some more.

When we did continue our excavation, Dipper had mentioned to not even bother with red berries. Those tended to be poisonous more often than not.

I glanced at the berries in front of me. They were a faded shade of violet – almost a dark color. But definitely not red. I backed away from the bush. It was probably not a good idea to eat them. My stomach rumbled violently. I hadn't eaten anything all day. I couldn't even remember the last time I've eaten.

I bit my bottom lip greedily. I was so unbelievably hungry – I'd literally eat anything. I checked around the area – seeing if there was anything else to eat.

Of course there wasn't.

"You know what?" I said out loud to no one, "Screw it!"

I yanked off some more berries, tossing them in my mouth. I chewed ferociously.

I could hear the berries burst inside my mouth as my braced teeth slammed down on them with a merciless force.

I froze. A queasy and tingling sensation leapt off of my tongue. I cringed, dropping the rest of the berries on the ground, leaving my hands stained with the violet juice.

"_Plagh!_" I instantly spat out the vile fruits, swatting my tongue with my hands several times. As if that'd do any good. The berries had a bitter bite to it – like pickles, bananas and asparagus decided to have a grotesque child. "Ugh, gross! What _is_ this stuff?" I picked up a berry again, taking a closer look at it. Nothing was really out of the abnormal – just a plain old regular berry.

Despite it's nasty flavoring.

I glanced back down at myself. It didn't appear to have any affect on me. I wasn't sick, and I didn't feel itchy or anything. My gaze turned back to the small fruits. Sighing, I stuff some in my pockets just in case. It might be a long-term poisoning. Lucky me.

At least I was feeling better food-wise.

After shoving around forty of them in my skirt pockets, I set off towards the mountain again. The days go by fast in this forest – I didn't remember summer being so short, but here I am. Trapped in this unforgiving blue wonderland.

Some time passes, and I'm found still walking a lonely path of veering hopelessness. Suddenly, I heard something behind me. It was only a twig snap – but I wasn't taking any chances.

I ran.

I ran as fast as my wounded leg would take me. I panted heavily, wobbling unevenly away from the noise.

Spinning my head to see if it was pursuing me, the only thing I caught was a pair of ghostly white eyes. The eyes looked much too familiar. My pupils shrank.

It was the Toad-Human. _Taduman_.

Now picking up even greater speed, I darted away as fast as I could. That thing almost ate me before! And all I got from that chase was a sprained ankle! _Just a sprained ankle!_

My legs pumped more speed into my running – I was right back where I started.

Twisting my head around to face the horrible demon, I skid to a complete stop.

The Taduman wasn't following me.

I tipped my head to the side, trying to figure out where he was at. Come to think of it, he wasn't even chasing after me. He was just... watching me. I shuddered.

I hated him so much.

Kicking a rock as I continued to walk at a slower pace, still alarmed and still keeping a sharp ear out for any signs of danger, I let my eyelids hang over my dry eyes. It was evening now – soon it'll be dark.

Then what?

My head spins around looking for the Taduman again – so far, he was my biggest threat. Besides those weird water sprites. I frowned at the thought.

Odd... none of them tried to eat me... and when they did, they all just left...

My eyebrows furrowing deeper in thought. My right foot suddenly feels a splash of cool water. I instantly snap out of my mind, whirling my head around to see if there was any more unwanted predators. There was only a soft, and shallow stream. I hesitate – imagining there'd be a lochness monster or something that jumps out and tries to kill me as well.

I tap the water with my good foot again. It only ripples, and slows back down into its normal water pattern. I sighed with relief. Who knew being Dipper was so frustrating? You literally can't trust anything to _not_ murder you.

I rest my left ankle into the water, helping myself relax. Remembering the berries in my pocket, I pull some out. They were half-squashed (no kidding) and didn't even pass the appearance part of the edibility test. Ignoring my Dipper-half that I've received ever since stepping foot into this cursed forest, I eat some more anyway. It helped regain some of my energy that I've lost.

The cold wind that signified the night swirled around me again. I grip onto my sweater, keeping the warm air inside. My eyelids feeling restless once again, they slowly close on me, leaving me to sleep in the cold, icy wind.

**~Scribbleknots here! **

**Hey guys! This is as far as I'll get for now, and no, no I'm not done with my other fanfiction I'm writing, I was just getting impatient on waiting this one to be posted. **

**That being said, I'm still working on that MLP one, but since it is ALMOST DONE (yay) I figured I might as well be posting this side project. So anyway, please leave some reviews so that I know you guys want me to continue working on this! (I'll be working on it whether you like it or not, because I like this idea)**

**Anyway, hope you guys are liking it!**


	5. Dark Omens

_~4 _

Warm, blinding light leaked into my eyes as the morning dawned upon me. Sitting up, my back arched, getting out the stiffness from last night's rough sleep. Noticing that the usual soreness of my ankle has ebbed greatly, I gave a weak smile and turned to my "dissolving" issue.

Unfortunately, most of my pinkie was pretty much gone.

And my left foot was now noticeable for being infected.

I sighed; I couldn't do much about it, except maybe put a glove on as well as some uggs to cover it up. Not that I had any of those things on me at the moment.

_"__there's a willow in our midst... don't follow the curse..." _

I spun around, instantly hearing the eerie echoes of whispering.

"H-hello?" I asked, weary of the shady voices.

_"__don't trust the soul... only pain..."_

I was, of course, beginning to get nervous. Maybe the forest finally figured out that I didn't belong here. That I should leave.

Stumbling to get up, the whispering instantly dies.

I bit my lip.

_Spooky. _

Though I was mildly disturbed by the consistent creepiness of the forest, I continued to set off in search for food. Mostly to get my mind off of things.

I go back to the place where I found those grotesque berries, which wasn't too far off (the ones in my pocket were too squished to be edible), trying my best to ignore the heavy silence.

Once I found the bushes, I hurriedly picked the berries, hoping to head up the mountain and out of this forest as soon as possible. Shoveling them into my mouth, the whispering started once again. I pause my desperate desire to eat, and listen carefully.

_"__... the danger is near..."_

_"__death is coming..."_

_"__... no hope left..." _

Becoming more and more concerned with the disturbing voices in the woods, I stop gathering the berries and start running in the direction of the mountain. Dumping the berries into my skirt pockets, I begin to imagine what particular stuff looks like.

You know, to get my mind off of the weird stuff for a while.

I look up at the mountain where I'm headed. A half-smile slid onto my face.

"Huh. Kinda looks like Mount Fuji. Funny how stuff works like that." Her thoughts paused. "Wait, am I in Japan?" I spun around myself, careful not to trip over my own injury. I didn't think they'd have blue trees in Japan. Let alone water sprites, talking tarsiers, or a toad-human-monster-thingy.

"Psh, nah!" I reasoned with myself why I couldn't be in Japan, "If I were in Japan, these guys would've spoken Japanese, or something for sure! Or at least some kinda accent..." I trailed off, feeling uneasy once more.

I heard more whispering.

_"__...he's out to destroy us..."_

_"__... fate has welcoming arms..."_

I walked faster, trying my best to ignore all the chilling murmurs.

**_"_****_...Hrungnir's Heart is among us..."_**

Suddenly, all the voices randomly stopped.

I had found myself just at the edge of a forest clearing with just a single object in the clearing.

As I inspected the object some more, I had come to realize that it was a pear. I walked over to it shakily, fearing what might happen.

But that pear looked delicious.

Hungrily as well as vigilantly, I went over to it unsuspectingly; drool slobbering all over my braces. Before I reached down to pick it up, my head swerved in multiple directions – making sure that it was 100% safe to eat this pear. When I saw that there were no visible dangers to be seen, I turned my head back to the food.

Forgetting all of my worries for just a moment, I picked the green fruit off the ground.

It felt hard, as in, rock-hard, the hue of it was actually a light brown, and its texture was like rubbery scales. I had rapidly figured out that this was not a pear. My heart beating, I began to turn it around with my fingers.

I was holding a shrunken head.

"Euwghh!" I instantly dropped it, shaking both my hands and wiping them on my sweater and skirt.

Its eyes were stitched closed, and its ears appeared to be missing.

I backed away from the head, and anxiously biting my lip, I began to apologize to the clearing.

"Hey, look, um, whoever lives here? I'm really sorry for messing with your, uh, _belongings_. So, I promise to _never_ come back here again, and uhm, goodbye!"

As I turned to leave, I heard a rustling behind me. I slowly rotated back towards the clearing. The shrunken head had moved.

Backing away, my eyes wide with apprehension, I didn't want to turn my back on this being again.

The mouth then started wailing,

_"__**Valknut**__ venit facere domini sui iubente! __**Numquam**__ fiduciam eius metallum risu!"_

The freaky head started bouncing faster and faster towards me,

_"__**VALKNUT**__ VENIT FACERE DOMINI SUI IUBENTE! __**NUMQUAM**__ FIDUCIAM EIUS METALLUM RISU!"_

"AAAAHHHH!" I shrieked, bolting away from the terrifying skull.

It continued to pursue me, howling louder and louder with its ghastly voice.

_"__**VALKNUT**__ VENIT FACERE DOMINI SUI IUBENTE! __**NUMQUAM**__ FIDUCIAM EIUS METALLUM RISU!""_

I maintained my accelerating pace, rushing past dozens of trees and vegetation as I desperately attempted to escape the foul creature.

_"__**Valknut**__ venit facere domini sui iubente! __**Numquam**__ fiduciam eius metallum risu!"_

The screaming shrunken head faded away as I kept running.

The whispers that had once plagued my head returned; only this time, they were yelling as well.

_"__It is Valknut's Prisoner!"_

_"__It has come to destroy us all!"_

_"__Symbols of DEATH!"_

I covered my ears, frantically blocking out the rising screams, and squeezed my eyes shut as I ran through the confusing woods.

_"__NO HOPE FOR LIFE!"_

_"__ALL IS GONE!"_

_"__VALKNUT HAS RETURNED!"_

_"__VALKNUT WILL SLAUGHTER THE DAYS TO COME!"_

_"__HE WILL LEAVE NO MERCY!"_

_"__NO SURVIVORS!"_

_"__EVERYTHING IN RUINS!"_

"AAAAHHHHHH!" I abruptly stopped running. I fell to my knees, and gripped onto my ears as hard as I could.

_"__DEVASTATION OF THE JEWELS!"_

_"__SURRENDER IS __**THE ONLY PROTECTION!"**__  
>"VALKNUT'S PRISONER IS THE <em>_**OMEN OF DISASTER!"**_

"STOP!" I bellowed, tears of strain beginning to flow. "OR I'LL GET VALKNUT HERE RIGHT **_NOW_**_!"_

The voices instantaneously shut up.

I waited for them to pick up again, to start bawling and crying at the top of their lungs, but they didn't. I remained on the ground for some time, and then I proceeded on my journey towards the mountain.

_Wonder who's Valknut, anyway?_ I pondered to myself, glancing up that the Mount Fuji look-alike. _That guy sounds like bad news._

There were no more panicked voices as I traveled. Let alone any voices in general.

My thoughts then began to wrap around what the voices were yelling about in the first place.

_'__Valknut's Prisoner?' Sounds like a dumb horror movie. Kinda wish I had an idea of what it was..._

I glanced down at my green sweater. Stains and scars on the fabric told its silent story of my adventure in this blue forest. The design of three black-leaking triangles that connected together still remained on the very front of my sweater. More cautious than curious feelings arose from my mind. Whatever this symbol was, I didn't want to have anything to do with it.

I made my way back on the path to the mountain, avoiding the forest clearing area entirely. I kept a sharp eye out for any more shrunken heads screaming Bloody Mary, but for once, there appeared to be no more dangers. However, with every step I took, the environment around me grew darker and darker. The distrust was definitely in the atmosphere – this place wanted me gone. I sighed.

_Shame that I didn't make any new friends here..._

My stomach growling for some more food, and my ankle slightly throbbing again from today's earlier events, I stopped to take a short rest. My brown eyes took a look around at where I was. I was somehow still in the forest, but I had paused next to a very small stream of clear water. It had a miniature waterfall, and it dribbled on the tiny pebbles below it. I smiled warmly.

"Aw, it's kinda cute." I placed a finger underneath the water, testing its temperature.

Ice cold.

"And thirst-quenching." I cupped some of the falling water into the palms of my hands, taking a nice long drink. I sat down for a little while, splashing some of the water on my ankle, which was healing surprisingly quickly.

Tending to my water needs some time later, it was then that I heard something big a distance behind me. Taking not a single difficult time to get up from the soaking ground, I whirl around to see what caused the noise.

My heart skipping a beat, I immediately recognized the monster that had made me experience fear like never before.

The Takuman beast was scenting the soil, his sharp claws digging into the ground for something that he probably wanted to eat.

I took a step back, careful not to make a single sound.

Takuman grunted, aggravated that he was unable to find anything. His tail shifted lower to his leg, and his ears twitched upwards. The beast lied still.

_He's listening..._

My thoughts came, almost not daring to think something, afraid that he might hear. I did not move. The Takuman stood there for a long time, just listening.

Unsuspectingly, his head snapped up from his position, startling me to move back some paces. Takuman's head shot in my direction. He growled viciously, and roared angrily at me. He stomped quickly in my direction.

I scrambled away from him as soon as he had done so.

Takuman's teeth rotating all over his mouth, the monster growled in his gravelly vocals at me – I can see the temptation, the desire, the _need_ to rip out my beating heart and squish it with his tongue – within his cold, merciless eyes.

Takuman snarled at me again, silvery spit flying everywhere. He ducked his head, biting and howling loudly at nothing. He shot me a death glare – and I saw my own terrified reflection looking right back at me – then ran off in the opposite direction, knocking over trees as he did so.

Oxygen flew rapidly in and out of my lungs. I placed a hand over my chest, calming myself down. Once I was relaxed to my "sort of normal" rate, I stared at the path that Takuman destroyed. I got up to my feet, ready to continue on to the mountain... to face more dangers and probably Takuman again... my eyebrows narrowed. He was the one thing that I was truly terrified in this forest. I mean, sure, the talking head was scary, but that only happened once, and that's probably because I think I just intruded in his clearing or something. Takuman was always there. Trying to kill me but not. Being my worst fear... Pretty much disabling me in a place where I can easily get killed...

Anger boiled within me.

_Why should I have to keep running from him? Why shouldn't I do something about it? It'll be one less problem to worry about._

I shook my head. There wasn't any way I'd be able to get rid of him.

_Unless I was a ninja... _

The idea came into my head. What if I could get rid of Takuman? And I wouldn't face him head-on? Just became an awesome star-ninja that can burn down this entire god-forsaken forest with flaming fire-cats?

I smiled.

That would be nice...

I stared at the path some more. Then my eyes drifted upwards, where I found a tall peak with dozens of walls all around. Sort of like the Grand Canyon, but a thousand times skinnier. Guessing by the texture, I'd say it's probably really rocky.

_Rocky... lots of rocks... avalanche... earthquakes? Dinosaurs? T-Rex deaths? Lots of crying over a dead mother? Kid dinosaurs getting revenge by drowning T-Rex?_

I beamed.

I know exactly what I'll do to get my revenge against Takuman.

No more fear for this Ninja-Cat.

**Scribbleknots:**

**Hello, people who are (for some reason) still here! Welp, here's another chapter for you guys! I just got finished with my other story, so now I'll have some more time for this! And even better, since (in my personal opinion) this story is 105% better, I probably won't get bored with it as easily. **

**I hope you enjoy, and I'll try to write sooner for this story! So, please review, and don't be afraid to message me sometimes! I love answering questions, you know!**


	6. Into the GORGE

_~5_

My leg triggering the "aching" stage, I had finally made it to the _Gorge_ (as I've been calling it dramatically). As I had predicted before, it was extremely rocky. Big, unbalanced boulders sat on top of the valleys, waiting for absolutely nothing. All the area around me was a pale orange, with just a hint of gray. Other than the small streams of water that ran delicately through the massive maze, not a single soul was to be seen, or heard. The heavy silence frightened me, and to keep myself from turning back, I quietly sang myself a little song.

_"__... no one... fights like Gaston, douses lights like Gaston..! In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston, for there's no one as burly and brawny... as you see I've got biceps to spare... not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny, that's right, and ev'ry last inch of me's covered with hair..! No one... hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston... in a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston... I'm especially good at expectorating...! Ten points for Gaston..!"_

Odd choice of all the relaxing songs, but its catchiness did soothe my nerves. I continued to sing the movie's song, remembering how I used to have a tiny crush on Gaston when I first watched _Beauty and the Beast_ as a young child... then, hating him later after he tried to kill Beast.

Careful not to trip on any rocks, I eventually made my way to the top of the gorge, and when I looked down at it, I could just barely see the sparkling water below. Glancing nervously at a dangerous boulder next to me, I edge around it, beginning to doubt my "Ninja Cat" abilities. How was I supposed to get rid of a gigantic human- toad-bear-tiger? Its entire body _alone_ was one big weapon – my body alone is just... one big 80's montage. "Yeah, this was a stupid idea." I concluded to myself. I was just about to leave, until I heard the unearthly roar of the beastly Takuman.

I gasped, running to the sound. Lucky for me, Takuman was just below me, still within the gorge. He didn't look like he was after me, as he wasn't looking in my direction, but he must've gotten a rabbit cornered, or whatever, because his devilish teeth were gnashing and snarling at the rocky wall in front of him.

I straighten up instantly.

_This is my chance!_

I run to one of the ginormous rocks, which was partially rooted to the sandy ground. The idea came faster than light, and I dashed over to it immediately; not even thinking about what the Takuman was doing.

I placed my hands on the boulder, using only my right leg to support me. My eyes tightened at the strain; I could feel the rock loosing its grip on the ground. My eyes opened for just a moment to see the Takuman right underneath me, ready to pounce on something... still pushing as hard as I could, I stared hard at what Takuman's dinner was... I noticed that whatever it was had messy brown hair, ripped gray shorts, a beat-up orange t-shirt, halfway-torn vest, and... My eyes widened.

_A blue-and-white pine-tree hat._

**_DIPPER?! _**My thoughts screeched his name.

Tears leaked from my eyes._ It's him! It's really him!_

The boulder I'd been pushing was now being pulled by gravity; the ground that had once been holding it had collapsed. The boulder fell at an alarming speed – right on top of both Takuman and Dipper.

"DIPPER, _LOOK OUT!"_ I cry, devastated that I had done such a horrible thing.

The boy just managed to look up, but at the same time, so did Takuman, and Dipper took the chance to escape the distracted ogre. My twin just managed to slide past the beast, running once again for dear life. Takuman stood there, gaping at the falling rock. At once, he snapped back to his senses, galloping to get away.

He wasn't fast enough.

Takuman wailed in angst – the giant boulder had caught his back leg. Struggling to get up, Takuman snarled at Dipper, who had ducked behind a different rock, staring at straight back at him with fearful eyes. The monster shot his ghostly eyes back up at me, every particle on his face filled with hatred.

Triumph dominated my once horrified feelings.

"Yeah! _WHO'S_ the big dog, _NOW_, _Takuman?!_ In yo' _FACE_!" I then blew my tongue at him, doing a dance to mock him. An outraged Takuman winced when he bellowed his mighty, terrifying roar at me. His leg was badly hurt, completely squished by the rock he had failed to dodge. Whining pathetically, Takuman began to phase underground, just like when he fled our first encounter. I watched him go, my ego flaring like crazy.

"Yes! _Yes!_ I taught that bully a lesson he'll _never_ forget! Don't mess with Mabel Pines, _sucka_!" I proceeded to do my mockery dance, even though Takuman had departed.

"_Mabel?"_ Dipper crept out of his hiding spot, looking up at me on the very top of the gorge.

My egotistical happiness dissolved into a thunderous, outburst of absolute joy.

I ran as fast as I could, not caring if the wobbly sandstones underneath me stumbled my bad ankle, and made it throb some more. My speed picked up when I started to run faster and faster down the hill that I had climbed up on to get up on top of the gorge in the first place.

I skidded to the left, now entering the bottom of the gorge, rushing to meet my lost twin. I heard his echoed footsteps rapidly try to get to me as well. My feet splashed in the little water that was down there, soaking my sock-bandage and making my feet cold, but I didn't care.

Soon enough, I caught Dipper in the little distance, running as fast as he could towards me. I ran faster, my lungs on fire and my ankle pounding with pain. Closer and closer, I saw him in better detail the more we ran towards each other. Before I knew it, I had my arms wrapped all around him, and his arms hugged around my torso. I could hear him stifling sobs, and I dried my watery eyes.

When we let go of each other, he looked at me with his deep, dark brown eyes, and through his overjoyed smile, he blubbered,

"I thought you _DIED_! Where WERE you?!"

I smiled weakly.

It felt so good to hear his worried, prepubescent nerd-voice again.

"'Mess'en around in the blue forest back over there," I replied. I paused. "How did YOU get here?"

"I followed you here!" Dipper exclaimed, "I followed you to this place, and then I lost sight of you!"

I frowned,

"Wait – you _followed_ me here? Are you telling me I _got_ here all by myself?"

Dipper nodded rapidly,

"Yes! You woke up in the middle of the night, and just randomly went into the forest, and I tried to follow you, and you went to this weird clearing, and then you dropped dead!" He stopped. "And then I... inexplicably found myself in a pink desert... then somehow I ended up in a weird magenta jungle..." My twin brother shook his head, then looked at me with his heartbroken eyes, "But I couldn't find you! I looked everywhere for you!"

I smiled warmly.

And to think all I was doing was running around screaming in circles.

Dipper sighed, exasperated. "And after a while... I thought that you..." He wiped his eyes with his arm, turning away with his cap covering his eyes. "... I thought that you were gone for good."

I hugged my brother again, trying to comfort him with my braced smiles.

"Well, bro-bro! I'm not dead, and you were actually looking in the wrong place, and I just kicked Takuman's sorry butt! Whoop whoop! Haha, yeah! Alpha Mabel!"

"Takuman?" Dipper asked, his eyebrow raised. I stopped.

"Ah, you know... that weird monster-thingy that tried to eat you? And I dropped a rock on his leg, and he was like, 'RAAA,' and I was like, 'Haha! In yo' face –!"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Dipper calmed me down, "but how do you know what its name is?"

"'Cause I gave it to 'im."

"You gave him a name? Wait, so does that mean –?"

"That I've seen him more than once? Yup! I've seen him about, now, four times, and twice he tried to eat me, but I was all, 'Nu-uh! Not today!' and I, uh –" I recalled the memories, and mostly I just ran away or nursed my painful injury. "Uh... taught him... some more valuable lessons!" I gave Dipper two thumbs up.

Dipper stared at me, then his eyes drifted over to my right hand. He gasped, and rushed to see it more closely.

"Mabel, you're hand! It's _disappearing_!"

Sure enough, my pinkie was pretty much gone, and it was just a quarter of a way in on my ring finger, dissolving more of my hand as it went along.

I laughed nervously.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that..."

"What happened?!" He shot up to look in my direction.

I shrugged modestly.

"I dunno. It just kinda... showed up." I replied honestly.

My worrisome brother sighed.

"Well, we need to get you out of here. And fast."

Dipper then began to walk in a random direction, the opposite of where I was headed. I glance back up at the mountain, my teeth biting the bottom of my lip.

"Erm, Dipper?" I asked, glancing back in his path, "I was going up there." I pointed up at the Fuji-mountain. Dipper followed where I was directing, and then looked back at me.

"There? Why?"

"I just thought that that was where I needed to go, is all." I responded.

He frowned a bit, tilted his trucker hat, and subsequently nodded.

"Alright, if you say so."

I beamed brightly at him, hooking my arm around his, and started singing off-key,

"Weeee're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!" I chuckled lightheartedly. "That's, like, the third movie reference I've made since I got here." Dipper rolled his eyes humorously, half supporting me since I slowly started to lean on him due to my really sore ankle, which was practically killing me from putting my heavy weight on it before.

Dipper turned to me and said,

"You really should be more careful, Mabel. Your ankle looks pretty bad."

"Ah, meow meow meow meow." I mocked him once again.

It felt good to have my other half back again.


End file.
